Human Trafficking, Friendship Exchange, The Rotary Foundation & Shelterbox

Last Week

Major Carin Holmes took leave from the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn to talk to us about Human Trafficking.  It was an excellent talk with a really good presentation on the topic.  The biggest problem seems to be that people are extremely gullible when it comes the whole thing and if either in a desperate financial situation or extremely greedy become an easy prey to the well organised criminal structures.  I don't know what we as Rotarians can do about it other than possibly look at teh educational aspect, particularly where young people are concerned.

We welcomed two visitors, our Rotary Ann President June Virtue and Marilyn Bassin of the Boikanyo Project https://boikanyo.org.za/

Marilyn Bassin

Ann President June Virtue 

Rotary Friendship Exchange

District D3141 from Mumbai will be in Johannesburg 18/19 October, and our District are looking for hosts for 5 couples for the two nights.They are professional/business people.

Please contact David Bradshaw if you would be prepared to host one couple.

Lester Connock Awards

I  have just received the following email from Shakiera Sallie who was one of the recipients last year.

She also attached the confirmation from her supervisor which I have not included.

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have passed my Research with a distinction. All minor corrections have been completed and the final documents have been signed and handed to the Health Faculty.

I would like to say a huge thank you to the Rotary Club for the financial assistance and assisting me to complete my studies and fulfill my goal and have included the  Rotary club in my letter of acknowledgement in my Research Report

Should you need me to assist you in any way please feel free to contact me.

Thanking you.

Kind Regards,

Shakiera 

This Week

Les Short, who is the Foundation Director on our Board, is going to talk about the Rotary Foundation.

This is an important talk because we are very dependent on the Foundation for District and Global Grants.  We have made use of both recently and we are looking towards another Global Grant.  We are also hoping to have a candidate for a Rotary Peace Fellowship next year.

District is extremely worried by the lack of commitment to Foundation by clubs...only a minority make even the minimum amount per member as suggested by RI.  Our club has been generous and in the Foundation's centenary year we donated R100 000 on behalf of members. As that was 3 years ago District will receive that money back from Foundation this year.

ShelterBox

ShelterBox was founded in 2000 in the town of Helston, Cornwall, UK. That same year the Rotary club of Helston-Lizard adopted it as its millennium project.^[4]

The first consignment of 143 boxes was sent to victims of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. Over the next three years the project matured and by the end of 2004 nearly 2,600 boxes had been dispatched, following 16 major disasters. The company significantly expanded its work in response to the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami.

In 2002, ShelterBox's American affiliate was adopted as a project of the Rotary Club of Lakewood Ranch in Sarasota, Fla. In 2004, ShelterBox USA was officially established as a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

One of ShelterBox's largest responses was the 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti in 2010. ShelterBox provided shelter for 28,000 families or approximately 25% of all tents delivered in areas surrounding Port-au-Prince.

In 2010, the Australian and Canadian branches of ShelterBox split from the main organization and formed new organizations called Disaster Aid Australia and Disaster Aid Canada, respectively. However, new teams in Australia and Canada were immediately put in place and the charity's work was unaffected by the breakaway groups.

After the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, ShelterBox provided assistance to about 1,600 families in the disaster region.

In February 2013, Alison Wallace was appointed CEO of ShelterBox after her position as director of international fundraising at Amnesty International.

Rotary International

Rotary International renewed their three-year Project Partner agreement with ShelterBox in 2016 which increases their joint capacity to help families around the world displaced by disaster.

The agreement formalizes the sixteen-year bond between the two organizations and cements the place of Rotarians around the world at the heart of ShelterBox activities. ShelterBox was the first officially recognized ‘Project Partner’ of Rotary International and remains the only Project Partner focused on disaster relief.

Rotary clubs across Great Britain and Ireland raise around £1.5 million each year for the charity and some Rotarians are ShelterBox Response Team members who go out to disaster areas and provide hands-on help during times of need. These disasters can be anything from dealing with the aftermath of tsunamis to helping refugees from war-torn countries who have fled conflict.

In 2000, the Rotary club of Helston-Lizard adopted ShelterBox as its millennium project.  It has since become one of the world’s leading humanitarian aid charities providing emergency shelter and supplies to over 107,000 families worldwide following disaster.

An AG, Two Visitors, One Painting, Ladies of the Night and Terrible Flooding.

Last Week

As President Jean has already mentioned in her column our speaker was our AG, David Price.
What was particularly interesting was that he worked in the family business recycling alloys and producing iron.  He showed us some ice-hockey puck size samples.
And naturally, we will see more of him during the year.

We also had two visitors.

 Aderonke Adegoke Shobowale 

from the Rotary Club Mushin Golden, Nigeria

Nash McRonzie from
Rotary Club of Matopos, Zimbabwe

Unfortunately we didn't have a banner with us to swop but President Jean will ensure her club does get one.

Congratulations to all who worked away at Spar Norwood at the weekend.  I was amazed at people's generosity.  It was a pleasure to do it and I personally don't enjoy this sort of  thing normally.  

Dini Condy kindly donated one of her paintings following the Rotary Art Festival.  The price on it is R9 000.  If you would like it please make an acceptable offer to Jean Bernardo

This Week

Our Speaker is Major Carin Holmes of the Salvation Army.

Carin is a Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Rotary Club of Johannesburg New Dawn.  She will be talking about the work the Salvation Army does with sex workers and human trafficking.

The ladies of the night. What a charming euphemism to describe the women in the world’s oldest profession, hinting at glamour and romance. But the reality of prostitution is sad – and sordid.

So what was I, Major Carin Holmes, doing mingling with these women on this dark, cold night of May 1? I had joined Major Margaret Stafford of our Port Elizabeth Central Corps (church) and two volunteers on their traditional first-Friday-of-the-month walkabout in PE’s sleaziest streets, reaching out to these unfortunate women to show our love and support. We were also rubbing shoulders with pimps, drug runners, hoboes and other lost souls many would write off as ‘derelicts’. What an eyeopening experience!

Not surprisingly, Major Margaret and her band of volunteers are a familiar sight among the dark and shadowy figures. Once again we met and mixed with them, listening to their stories and encouraging them to unburden their pain. For they are, indeed, in pain – emotional and frequently physical. For those who use their services can be vicious.

Our church is in the heart of this area, where the nightlife is dynamic. Up the road are numerous ‘straight’ bars, a gay bar, an ‘adult world’, and the Red Door, a gentlemen’s lounge. The smells are amazing as the little spaza shops compete with the mielie braaiers and the fruit sellers.

The tantalizing aroma of coffee soon attracts passers-by to the church grounds where a group of young volunteers has assembled to play gospel music. Old and young stop for a coffee and a chat.

Our little band of four has not come empty-handed. We have a bag filled with hand-knitted scarves, and another filled with small gifts (like hand cream or soap), each with a hand-written note expressing God’s love for the recipient. The gifts are a great ice-breaker when we introduce ourselves to the ‘Ladies’ and ask if we may pray with them and hear their stories.

Throughout our ramble in a ten-block radius from the church, we meet many of the 20 women whose beat this is. Sarah* (28) has been on the streets for two months, forced into prostitution because the father of her two-year-old is in jail and she knows no other way to support her family. Lindi*(30) is an accountant but can’t find a job. Like the others, Precious* (28) fervently wishes for other employment.

And so the night progresses. Some women welcome us with open arms, like old friends – which we are. All welcome the gifts, quickly donning
the scarves to prevent the wind’s bite. When Thandi* thanks us and says: “I’m happy tonight. This gift makes me feel special.” she echoes the others’ thoughts.

A beautiful woman, Christine* (25) is on the streets because she knows no other way to support her two kids. In tears she asks: “What do you do when your landlord sees you have things for your children so demand more money? I want a way out – please help me?” We give her a number to phone and leave her with hope in her heart.

Anna’s* face betrays many of her 44 years on the streets, while Priscilla* (24) a matriculant who was attracted to the ‘easy money’ now also finds it difficult to leave. We tell her about Syasebenza (a learn-to-work programme) in Walmer and she promises to go there.
Erica* looks much younger than her claimed 24 years. She also looks scared and finds it difficult to talk to us.

I’m amazed to see a sign advertising a crèche that’s open 24 hours a day. It’s for children from six months to six years of moms who work the night and collect them in the morning.

Following the region’s worst flooding in over a century, the Rotary in Great Britain and Ireland Donations Trust has launched an appeal for the Kerala Floods in India.
More than a million people are thought to have been forced to leave their homes, with the death toll estimated at 400.

Rotary members in India have launched the Kerala Flood Relief Centre to assist those impacted

The Donations Trust is a registered charity, established in 2007, which collates donations and makes grants to Rotary projects working to rebuild communities in the long term, rather than acting as a first responder.

Immediate response

While the Donations Trust is focused on the long-term regeneration of affected communities, Rotary is involved in supporting in the immediate aftermath.

Typical projects include constructing and equipping school and community centres, rebuilding infrastructure or providing rescue vehicles.

 Rotary-supported charity Aquabox provided an update on their Facebook page on Monday 20th August: “We hope to be shipping (air freight) filters pumps out later this week. The airports in Kerala are severely disrupted and we are seeking guidance on the ground for the best options for delivery.

“Initially the filters are destined for Karnataka/Kerala states and will be distributed with the help of the Rotary Club of Katapady and Invenger Foundation.”

Aquabox is also in contact with local Rotary clubs and members who are working involved with flood relief projects in order to enable the effective distribution of aid.

Water Survival Box, another Rotary-supported first responder is shipping 200 boxes to Kerala.

WATER SURVIVAL BOX@watersurvival

Water Survival Box is sending 200 boxes to Kerala with help from our good friends Khalsa Aid. Funds will be needed to replenish this stock so please help if you can. Details here http://www.watersurvivalbox.org/donate 

18:33 - 21 Aug 2018

• 1
• See WATER SURVIVAL BOX's other Tweets

Twitter Ads information and privacy

Fellow emergency response charities Disaster Aid and ShelterBox are currently monitoring the situation in the country.

Business Meeting, #bear, Our Vocational Service Awards, AG David Price & Plastic

Last Week
It was a Business Meeting and President Jean has reported on much of what was said in her column.  I do wonder what she means about the President's Chain being overhauled.  Is she referring to Jerry?  Perhaps there is some secret chaining chez Jean & Jerry?  Maybe a large ball is being attached and it will be worn round the ankle in future.  No doubt all will be revealed.

It was a pleasure to see Alan Banister as a visitor again and we had another 'visitor, Andrew Chinnah of Amnesty International.  Here's the local Amnesty branch with the new Secretary General, Kumi Naidoo - the first South African to hold that position.

It was great to have Mimi van Deventer with us as she does so much for our Interact Club at Highlands North Boys' High

Mimi van Deventer

President Jean & # bear....the one on the right.

President Jean introduced us to a bear provisionally called # 
I am sure that #bear will become permanent.  The one advantage is that he will increase our membership and lower our average age significantly.  Also the cost of feeding him is negligible.  Our thanks to Jeannette Horner for bringing him into the world.

Spot the Deliberate Mistake

Vocational Service Awards

It's that time of year again.  Please forward CV's and a proper motivation for candidates to me by the 30th September.

The candidate must have never had any recognition for what they do and be highly unlikely to be noticed.  Please make sure that the potential awardee is unaware of  your application.  In the past we have had applications for people who do their job well, for example you expect a nurse to be a good nurse so we wouldn't give someone an award for that.  However we do look at people who, through their work, assist the community beyond the call of duty so we would consider the nurse who does volunteer nursing without pay to assist her community. We also take a broad view of Vocation. attendant..

I will send out an email mid-month as a reminder.

This Week

Our new Assistant Governor, David Price, is going to tell us about himself.  I must admit I know nothing about him other than that  he used to belong to Kyalami and has now joined the new Rotary Club Fourways/Main Reef.

GLOBAL WARNING

 According to live statistics website http://www.theworldcounts.com , five trillion plastic bags are produced every year. That’s 160,000 a second! Put one after another, they would go around the world seven times every hour and cover an area twice the size of France. Following last month’s ban of singleuse plastic bags by major supermarket chains across Australia, the Rotary Club of Cromwell, NZ, has joined the cause, banning the use of plastic bags at its annual book sale and offering Rotary-branded reusable bags as an alternative. The New Zealand Government is also considering banning the bag, after a 65,000 strong petition was handed over to Parliament earlier this year.

 PLASTIC BAGS have been in the headlines recently following their phase out by major supermarket chains across Australia as of July 1. This follows a number of state bans put in place over previous years, with South Australia taking the lead in 2009.

Prior to the ban, Australians used four billion plastic bags every year – around 10 million a day. It’s estimated 150 million end up as litter. Even if used again, for example as a bin liner, it is estimated non-biodegradable plastic bags take 500 to 1000 years to decompose – and even then, it is into microscopic granules of plastic. The environmental impacts are severe. Plastic bags are often mistaken for food by turtles, fish and other marine life, leading to a slow death by starvation or suffocation. Humans, too, are facing dangers as a result of plastic proliferation. Research conducted in Sydney Harbour found plastics in the nanoparticles of fish flesh among those species caught for human consumption. This means BAN THE BAG plastics are working their way up the food chain and onto our plates. The Rotary Club of Cromwell recently joined the cause by ceasing to provide plastic bags at their annual book sale, which offers up thousands of books to raise funds for club projects. As an alternative, the club commissioned hundreds of reusable cotton bags for book buyers who didn’t have a bag of their own. It is hoped they will see many years of use after they carried their purchases home.

The book sale itself is also in the spirit of reuse. Rather than being tossed away, books find new appreciative homes – and potentially another home after that, when readers donate them back once they have finished with them. “We recognised that if the environment is to be improved, we have to do something proactive,” sale co-convener Denis McEntyre said. Everyone agrees removing short-term use plastic bags from the equation is just one step in solving our global plastic problem – but it’s certainly a start.  

A Social Meeting, a Business Meeting and a Rotary Club in British Columbia

Last Week

It was a Social Meeting and fun with quite a few visitors.  Mike Lamb brought his brother David who is a member of the Rotary Club of Hua Hin in Thailand.

David presented a banner to President Jean so that adds to our far-flung banner collection.








Two other visitors were Ronald Daintree from the Rotary Club of Knights Pendragon and Past District Governor Jankees Sligcher who we thought just liked visiting us but he really wanted to talk about Membership which is his portfolio at District this year.

Noeleen Hunt was Richard Tonkin's guest.

So having had no photographs last week, this week you have a plethora of them!

This Week

It's a Business Meeting.  It should be an interesting one as now the new board has had time to give us an idea of its plans for the coming year.

Interclub Quiz  

Johannesburg Club has set the date at Wednesday 21st November.  They have already hinted that they are probably the cleverest club and most likely to win.

Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium, British Columbia  

 Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium members
Jack Carlson, from left, Shannon Kirkwood, and Lyn Stroshin.

We’re dangling 1,400 feet above a forested valley. It’s a sea of green: no cars, no buildings, just uninterrupted forest bordered by snowcapped mountains. It’s a breathtaking view, and to get it, we’ve boarded a gondola that glides between the peaks of Whistler and Blackcomb mountains. The Peak 2 Peak gondola, the first lift to join two side-by-side mountains, holds two Guinness World Records, for height and for length between spans.

Whistler Blackcomb offers more skiable acres than any other resort in North America. The terrain is vast and varied – though much of it is steep – and the snow is reliable. Since its construction in the 1960s, the resort has attracted skiers and snowboarders from around the world; in 2010, it hosted the Winter Olympics. In the summer, more visitors arrive to hike, bike, kayak, fish, and rock climb. 

“This is our backyard,” says Shannon Kirkwood. 

Kirkwood is president of the Rotary Club of Whistler Millennium. The club was founded in 2000 when a few members of the Rotary Club of Whistler, which meets at 7:15 a.m., decided to start a lunch club. Kirkwood, one of 13 women in the 23-member club, says she joined for a sense of community in a town where not only the tourists but many of the residents are transient. Many live and work in Whistler for a season, then move on. Only about 12,000 people actually call Whistler home. 

Seasonal work brought club member Liz Peacock to Whistler from Newcastle, England, in 2010. Like many others, she and her husband planned to stay and work for a year. But Whistler felt like home. Peacock has put her degree in art history to work managing the art gallery at the Fairmont Hotel; her husband found work first as a chef and later as a carpenter. Their one-year-old son, Larry, is a bona fide Whistler native. He’s also a born Rotarian, regularly attending meetings with his mom. 

The club meets at the Pan Pacific Whistler Mountainside hotel at 12:15 p.m. Thursdays. Larry, who has just learned to walk, toddles down the hall toward the members as they arrive. Peacock patiently chases after him again and again. “He’s the greeter,” she says with a smile. 

Today, 10 people are on hand for a talk by Tom Smith, the District 5040 membership chair. He’s there to help them assess their club and offer ideas on increasing membership. He notes that the club has an impressive age range: There are as many members in their 30s as in their 70s. Given the club’s small size and baby Larry running around, the meeting feels almost like a family gathering. 

The setting is so idyllic, even the view from the conference room window is impressive. A visitor might wonder, what kind of service project could a luxury resort town like Whistler possibly need from Rotary?

Member Patrick McCurdy says one of the club’s most important projects is to help the town’s seasonal workers acclimate to a new and unfamiliar country. The club hosts a pancake breakfast every November, when new seasonal workers arrive, as part of the Whistler Community Services Society’s “Welcome Week.” Everyone gathers at the local fire station to learn about the area, their rights as tenants, local laws, and how to get help if needed. “Many seasonal workers are young people from other countries,” McCurdy says. “This might be their first time abroad.” The workshops help prepare them for life in Canada and give them tools to stay safe. 

Club members also work to keep the area beautiful, doing things like clearing underbrush to prevent forest fires. “We don’t have a lot of money, but we like to get our hands dirty,” says club member Mary Ann Collishaw. 

With the wonders of the natural world at their doorstep, club members make outdoor sports a part of daily life. A quick survey reveals that they enjoy everything from sailing to snowboarding. So it makes sense that their annual fundraiser is a 10-kilometer run/walk called the Brandywine Boogie. Kirkwood says that last year they raised about $6,000, which they used to sponsor a Youth Exchange student and to support a local cycling association that builds and maintains the trails used for the run. The club also supports the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards, and it recently sent three students to a weekend RYLA event. 

As members finish their lunch (either a Cobb salad or a ham and cheese sandwich), a piggy bank makes the rounds. This being Canada, the bank is actually in the shape of a bear. Each person adds a dollar or more and shares a bit of news. A visiting Rotarian, Roz, from Guernsey thanks the club for welcoming her. And member Jens Ronneberger highlights one of the simple joys of living here: “I went skiing on Monday,” he says.

A Cobb Salad? It is an American garden salad typically made with chopped salad greens, tomato, crisp bacon, boiled, grilled or roasted chicken breast, hard-boiled eggs, avocado, chives, Roquefort cheese, and red-wine vinaigrette.  It's served as a main course but it is Summer in Canada now.

Youth Protection Policy... We must comply, The RI President for 2020/21

Last Week
It turned out to be a Social Meeting as the Irish speaker with the non-Irish name cancelled at the last minute.

This Week
It's billed as a Social Meeting which probably means that we will end up with a surprise speaker.




This doesn't give me much to say on the Ramble about our meetings.  Instead let's be aware of how we must comply with the Children's Act 38 of 2005.









Children's Act 38 of 2005
This act brought the South African requirements for working with minors in line with those of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. 
In summary the rights and responsibility of the child are:

•  I have the right not to be hurt. 
•  I have the right to be protected from physical, sexual and emotional harm. 
•  I have the right to speak and to be taken seriously, and I have the responsibility to tell the truth. 
•  I have the right to be treated equally no matter my race, gender, language or religion, and I have the responsibility to treat others equally. 
•  I have the right to privacy, and the responsibility to respect the privacy of others. 
•  I have the right to be protected from cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, and I should not use substances that will harm me. 
•  I have the right to proper care and the responsibility to be the best person that I can 

The whole object of the act and its amendments is child protection against all forms of abuse from sexual through to cyber abuse much of which is not applicable to us but what is necessary is that anyone who does work with minors has to comply with the act.
Interact is an obvious case in point so any Rotarian who has oversight of an Interact Club must comply with the act as well as everyone who is involved with our Youth Leadership Course or hosts a Youth Exchange student.  Basically it is anyone working with young people.

What is necessary?
a)  Anyone working with minors has to sign an affidavit that states effectively that they have not had any criminal conviction to the Children's Act 38 0f 2005, the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 or involving children in South Africa or another country.
b)  In accordance with The Children’s Act 38 of 2005 all people working with minors ne ed to be vetted against the National Child Protection Register.

This is something that our club has to comply with and it is something the Youth Committee is no doubt working on.  I asked the District Governor what were the protocols for reporting aand handling Child Abuse.  He said that they do exist but I cannot find anything at District level though obviously Rotary International does have protocols and some districts have their own.  Hopefully the District will publish protocols and also a set form that will include the necessary affidavit for any Rotarian working with young people.

I am sure that many of us are aware that there have been problems in the past and it's a good thing that we are becoming compliant with international norms.

Sushil Kumar Gupta, of the Rotary Club of Delhi Midwest, Delhi, India, is the selection of the Nominating Committee for President of Rotary International for 2020-21. He will be declared the president-nominee on 1 October if no challenging candidates have been suggested.

Gupta wants to increase Rotary’s humanitarian impact as well as the diversity of its membership.

“As individuals, we can only do so much,” Gupta said in a statement. “But when 1.2 million Rotarians work together, there is no limit to what we can achieve, and in the process, we can truly change the world.”

Gupta has been a Rotarian since 1977 and has served Rotary as district governor, training leader, and resource group adviser, and as a member, vice chair, or chair of several committees.

He was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree by the IIS University, Jaipur, in recognition of his contributions to water conservation.

He has also received the coveted Padma Shri Award, the fourth-highest civilian award in India, conferred by the president of India for distinguished service to tourism and social work.

Gupta has also received the Distinguished Service Award from The Rotary Foundation for his support of its humanitarian and educational programs. He and his wife, Vinita, are Major Donors to The Rotary Foundation and members of the Arch Klumph Society.

Gupta is chair and managing director of Asian Hotels (West) Ltd., and owner of Hyatt Regency Mumbai and JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity. He has served as president of the Federation of Hotel and Restaurant Associations of India and on the board of directors of Tourism Finance Corporation of India Ltd. He is the president of Experience India Society, a public-private partnership between the tourism industry and the government of India that promotes India as a tourist destination. He is also vice chair of the Himalayan Environment Trust and serves on the board of Operation Eyesight Universal in India.

Lyn Collocott, a Prize for Dini, a Talk on Ireland and Treat Violence as if it is a Disease.

Last Week


Past President Lyn Collocott gave us a talk on her early life in what was then called Natal and how she became involved with the Rotary Club of Centurion and subsequently became President.
It was interesting and light hearted despite the fierce Maths Teacher face in this photograph.






As it was in her year as president, we have her again presenting the prize to artist Dini Condy for the highest sales at the Rotary Art Festival, R44 000.   The prize is a weekend for two at the Hyde Park Hotel......presumably with the Rotarian of your choice. 

Also in the picture is Rotarian Joan Sainsbury, the power behind the Art Festival.






And yet another picture.  This time President Jean Bernardo with visiting Rotarian Moustapha Kamal from Dakar, Senegal.

This Week
Our speaker is Fred Klinkenberg, Regional Director Sub Saharan Africa for Enterprise Ireland.

Our priority is the achievement of export sales growth from Irish-owned companies. All our services are geared toward helping Irish companies win international sales.

Our range of services is extensive, from funding, to making introductions in key international markets.

• Funding supports - a range of supports, for start-ups, expansion plans, and R&D business plans.
• Export assistance - including the provision of in-market services, local market information and the facilities of our international office network.
• Supports to develop competitiveness - helping companies to become leaner to make them more competitive in international markets.
• Incentives to stimulate in-company R&D – new product, service and process development to ensure sustainability, and growth through the evolution of products and services.
• Assistance with R&D collaboration - with research institutions, to develop and bring to market new technologies, products or processes.
• Connections and introductions to customers overseas - we provide access to a global network of contacts - from heads of government to end customers.

Many of our clients tell us that while the funding they received from Enterprise Ireland was helpful, the non-financial assistance, like introductions to experts, buyers and potential customers, was most valuable.

An epidemiologist who helped stem the spread of cholera and AIDS in Africa, Gary Slutkin has a new – and successful – strategy to stop the contagion of violence: Treat it like a disease

Twenty-three years ago, Gary Slutkin moved to Chicago to take a break. A doctor trained in infectious diseases, he had spent his career battling tuberculosis in San Francisco and cholera in refugee camps across Africa. Working with the World Health Organization, he played a key role in reversing the AIDS epidemic in Uganda. But he had also spent more than a decade surrounded by suffering and death. “I was exhausted,” he says. 

In 1995, when he was 44, Slutkin left Africa and his job with WHO and moved back to the United States to recharge. Yet the headlines kept him from winding down: Violence dominated the news. “All across the country, I saw that violence was an issue in the same way that cholera or diarrheal disease had been an issue in Bangladesh or AIDS was in Uganda,” he says. So he began to research violence the same way he had investigated the causes and patterns of disease as an epidemiologist.

Last September, Slutkin discussed his findings while speaking about “Peace in the Age of Uncertainty,” the first installment in a three-part Pathways to Peace Series sponsored by Rotary International and the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

 “Looking at violence,” he explained, “we can see through maps and charts and graphs that it behaves exactly like all other epidemic issues.” And like other contagions, violence tended to cluster, with one event leading to another. “How does that happen?” he asked. “It’s because of exposure. That was the insight I came to years ago. What was the greatest predictor of violence? The answer: a preceding act of violence.” What’s more, he insisted, if violence is predictable, it can be “interrupted.”

With that in mind, Slutkin began investigating new ways to treat violence. He started an initiative originally called the Chicago Project for Violence Prevention; in 2000, it implemented its first program – CeaseFire – in a violence-plagued Chicago neighborhood. Known since 2012 as Cure Violence, it’s based at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where Slutkin is a professor at the School of Public Health. 

The Cure Violence model employs three components used to reverse any epidemic: interrupt transmission; reduce risk; change community norms. Cure Violence outreach workers prevent violence by counseling people exposed to violence in their home or community. These “violence interrupters” work with high-risk individuals to discourage them from acting out violently.

Where implemented, the Cure Violence model typically reduces violence by 41 to 73 percent in the first year. In 2011, a film called The Interrupters documented the success of the program, and today its impact is felt worldwide. “We have a global effort to reduce violence through partnerships in multiple regions, in particular Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East,” as well as in 25 U.S. cities, Slutkin says.

 “Public health has been responsible for some of the greatest accomplishments in human history,” he says. “It’s gotten rid of multiple diseases like plague and leprosy and smallpox. Polio is on its way out. Violence is next.”

Slutkin spoke with contributing editor Vanessa Glavinskas about his pioneering methodology, behavior change, ineffective punitive remedies, and ways Rotarians can lend a hand in the fight to cure violence.

Q: How does the Cure Violence model work?

A: All epidemics are managed from the inside out. They’re not managed by outside forces; they’re managed from the inside. The health sector guides and trains in the specific methods for how to detect, how to interrupt, how to persuade, how to change behavior, how to document work, and how to change local strategies when things aren’t working. Epidemics are managed through a partnership between community groups, health departments, and other services. It works over and over again.

Managing disease is something Rotarians are familiar with because of polio eradication. To vaccinate children, health workers go door to door in the communities and talk to parents about the importance of the vaccine. The most important thing that these health workers have is trust. 

Cholera was managed this way when I was working in Somalia. We used Vietnamese and Cambodian outreach workers to reach Vietnamese and Cambodian tuberculosis patients and their families. This is the way it really works. But the U.S. is in a punitive mode about a lot of things that are health problems.